The invention relates to a radiotelephone handset and user interface thereto.
The user interface, i.e. those elements of the handset that interact with the user is of vital importance. Important user interface considerations include, the ease with which the phone can be operated, the ease with which it can be transported and the comfort of use.
In the past, emphasis has been placed on designing the front of a handset, making it smaller and designing relatively large displays that allow information to be clearly presented to a user. As handsets become smaller they are better adapted for single hand operation. With this comes a range of other considerations.
Single handed operation of a radio telephone has clear advantages. These can only be realised effectively if the user finds it comfortable to operate the telephone when it is held in one hand. As modern phones are becoming increasingly small it is for the phone designer to assist in design of the phone to promote single handed operation.
According to the present invention, there is provided a radiotelephone handset comprising a housing having a front face to be presented to the face of the user when making a call, the handset having a user interface comprising an audio interface and a touch interface, wherein the touch interface includes touch input means on another face of the housing for directing the processing of voice signals supplied to the audio interface.
The provision of user input means off of the front face of the handset makes it more accessible to the user when he is using the audio interface (e.g. loudspeaker and/or microphone), for example when in a call. The touch input means is preferably provided towards the top of the housing so as to promote single handed operation of the handset because the touch input means can then be readily reached by the fingers of the hand holding the handset.
The touch input means may be provided on the top or a side face of the housing. Provision on the top face enables the touch input means to be readily accessed, for example when the handset is in loudspeaker mode on a deskstand. However, it is more suitably positioned on the rear of the phone, as it is then in a very comfortable position for the user when operating the handset with one hand. Also, it is preferable to positioning the touch input means on a side face as manufacturing is simplified. Positioning of components such as keys can be restricted to along the z axis.
As mentioned above, handset is provided with touch input means for directing the processing of voice signals supplied to the audio interface. The touch input means may, for example, provide voice recognition and/or voice recording functions. When operating in a voice recognition mode, the touch input means may direct the storage and retrieval of data according to the user""s instructions . For example, it may control the contents of the phone""s memory to store and retrieve phone numbers. Alternatively, when operating in voice recording mode, the touch input means may record the user""s voice, the other party""s voice or both, either for a selected portion of a call or throughout.
The handset may comprise a display, and the touch input means may manipulate the contents of that display. The touch input means may also provide other functions, such as other in call functions (e.g. sending/ending calls). The handset may also comprise further user interface features, such as further touch input means (alphanumeric keypad, power key, other function keys etc.). These further features may appear on various faces of the phone, although preferably those with associated in call functions appear on the back of the handset.